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Study confirms utility of Oxford Immunotec's T-SPOT.TB assay in identifying latent TB infection

The authors of a recent peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease confirmed the high specificity of the T-SPOT.TB assay.

26 Apr 2010

Researchers synthesize metal compounds that can be effective in treatment of cancer

Scientists from Bochum have managed to accurately determine the location of metal complexes within living cancer cells using Raman microscopy. The researchers have thus gained new insights into the mechanism of action of metal-containing drugs, to which they ascribe great potential capacities, e.g. in the treatment of cancer.

26 Apr 2010

Long telomeres in non-demented adults and seniors associated with poorer memory: Researchers

A team of collaborating researchers from the Swedish universities of Umeå, Stockholm, and Linköping is now publishing data showing that long telomeres in non-demented adults and seniors can be associated with poorer memory.

26 Apr 2010

Odors classified into groups by discrete activity states of neuronal circuits: Scientists

Scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI, part of the Novartis Research Foundation), are unraveling how odors are processed by the brain. As they report in Nature, odors in the olfactory brain are classified into groups represented by discrete activity states of neuronal circuits.

26 Apr 2010

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells.

26 Apr 2010

Mothers with preeclampsia at reduced risk of developing breast cancer

Preeclampsia is a high blood pressure syndrome in pregnant mothers that is caused when the blood supply in the placenta of the developing baby is restricted. The blood-deprived placenta releases factors that cause the raise in blood pressure in the mother. Doctors have to monitor these women closely and they may be forced to deliver the baby early to protect the mother and the baby. Most women's blood pressure returns to normal levels after they deliver the placenta.

26 Apr 2010

Driving evolution of antibiotic resistance backwards

The use of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections causes a continual and vicious cycle in which antibiotic treatment leads to the emergence and spread of resistant strains, forcing the use of additional drugs leading to further multi-drug resistance.

26 Apr 2010

Symphogen's Sympress II technology demonstrates cost-effective single batch production of rpAb

Symphogen A/S today announced the publication of data in the March 20, 2010 online edition of Molecular Biotechnology by Nielsen LS et al. [epub ahead of print] demonstrating the ability of its Sympress II technology to enable cost-effective production of recombinant polyclonal antibodies (rpAb) and antibody mixtures with batch-to-batch consistency that the Company believes could supply drug product for large indications such as cancer and infectious disease.

26 Apr 2010

New method helps study interactions needed for formation of lipopolysaccharides

Scientists have combined chemistry and biology research techniques to explain how certain bacteria grow structures on their surfaces that allow them to simultaneously cause illness and protect themselves from the body's defenses.

26 Apr 2010

University of Utah researchers knock out genes in nematode worms

Knocking genes out of action allows researchers to learn what genes do by seeing what goes wrong without them. University of Utah biologists pioneered the field. Mario Capecchi won a Nobel Prize for developing knockout mice. Kent Golic found a way to cripple fruit fly genes. Now, biologist Erik Jorgensen and colleagues have devised a procedure for knocking out genes in nematode worms.

26 Apr 2010

Ethnic differences in genetic factors may affect susceptibility to development of breast cancer

A new study finds that factors known to increase the risk of breast cancer among white women have less influence in Hispanic women. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that research is needed to evaluate how breast cancer risk factors differ among ethnic and racial populations.

26 Apr 2010

Controlling actions of FSH may help treat osteoporosis in menopausal women

Diminished bone density is common among menopausal women and raises their risk of osteoporosis, bone fractures and subsequent complications. Research has traditionally focused on therapies that seek to maintain the level of estrogen in the body. This hormone seems to sustain bone health, but it drops to an extremely low level during and after menopause.

26 Apr 2010

Study finds changes in astrocytes key to brain dysfunction

Neuroscience researchers have zeroed in on a novel mechanism that helps control the firing of electrical signals among neurons. By isolating the molecular and electrical events that occur when this control is disrupted, the new research sheds light on epileptic seizures and potentially on other prominent diseases involving poorly regulated brain activity.

26 Apr 2010

Targeted therapy based on molecular signatures for treating lung cancer

The first lung cancer clinical trial to guide targeted therapies to patients based on molecular signatures in tumor biopsies is a step toward personalized care and more effective, efficient clinical trials for new drugs, study leaders reported today during the American Association for Cancer Research 101st Annual Meeting 2010.

24 Apr 2010

1976 "swine flu" vaccine protects against 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus

New evidence shows immunization against "swine flu" in 1976 might provide individuals with some protection against the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, according to new research from St. Jude investigators.

24 Apr 2010

New understanding of nerve cell influence in exchange of information

Nerve cells communicate with each other by means of electrical impulses. To create such an impulse, the cells exchange charged ions with their environment. However, the role played by the ever-present chloride channels remained obscure, although some theories predicted a relation between the chloride channel ClC-2 and epilepsy.

24 Apr 2010

JHUSON introduces Text4Baby program to provide parenting tips to new parents

Having a baby is a very exciting time for new parents, with all the preparation and anticipation that comes with it. But how do parents find help and assistance—from prenatal care to parenting tips? Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing have come up with innovative ways to provide parenting tips to new parents of all demographics.

24 Apr 2010

Mechanisms pathogenic viruses exploit to evade immune systems of hosts

Viruses have evolved a broad range of strategies that enable them to evade the immune systems of their hosts. A team of researchers led by LMU virologist Professor J-rgen Haas has been studying a novel, recently discovered mechanism that pathogenic viruses exploit for this purpose, and their latest results could point the way to new antiviral therapies. The mechanism is based on the production of short RNA molecules, called microRNAs, by the virus.

24 Apr 2010

Novel clinical research approaches for rapidly identifying and preventing congenital cardiovascular defects

Structural and functional congenital cardiovascular abnormalities present at birth are the leading source of all congenital defects encountered in live births. Nearly half a million children in the United States have structural heart problems ranging in severity from relatively simple issues, such as small holes between chambers of the heart, to very severe malformations, including complete absence of one or more chambers or valves.

24 Apr 2010